Design, synthesis and chemical stability of indolizine derivatives for antidiabetic activity.

Prodrugs of metformin were synthesized with the goal of enhancing biological activity of metformin. They were synthesized by combining metformin with 2-substituted indolizine (). The synthesized prodrugs were characterized by IR, H NMR, C NMR, and mass spectroscopy. The chemical hydrolysis of was carried out at pH 1.2, 6.8, and 7.4. All compounds showed encouraging chemical stability at pH 1.2 and 6.8, whereas mild hydrolysis was shown at pH 7.4. Further prodrugs were screened for antidiabetic activity using a streptozotocin-induced model in rat. These derivatives showed substantial results. Among them showed significant activity in the reduction of treptozotocin-induced blood glucose in rats when compared to that of metformin, indicating the effectiveness of prodrug.